Means for testing wires or wire ropes.



I PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908. C. E. S. MoGANN & R. GOLSON. MEANS FOR TESTING WIRES OR WIRE ROPES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1906.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 890,085. PATBNTED JUNE 9, 1908.

G. E. S. McOANN & R. GOLSON. I MEANS FOR TESTING WIRES OR WIRE ROPES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1906.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 890,085. PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908. G. E. S. MoOANN & R. GOLSGN. MEANSFOR TESTING WIRES 0R WIRE ROPES.

APPLIQATION FILED JAN.10, 1906.

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Ill .5 W J O JX Qoo ooooooo0 00012 l z M @6 L No. 890,085. PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908.

v G. E. S. MQGANN & R. GOLSON.

MEANS FOR TESTING WIRES OR WIRE ROPES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1906.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATE S PATENT ()Fiilfliil.

CHARLES EDWARD STUART MCCANN, OF JOIIANNESBURG, AND RICHARD GOLSON, ()F

BELFAST, TRANSVAAL.

MEANS FOR TESTING WIRES OR WIRE BOPES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 9, 1908.

Application filed January 10, 1906. Serial No. 295,354.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, (humans EnwARn S'rimn'r MGCANN, of Johannesburg, Transvaal, and RienAnn COLSON ,Of Belfast, Transvaal, subjects of the King of Great Britain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lYleans for Testing Wires or Wire Hopes, of which thefollowing is a speciiication.

This invention relates to means for testing wires, wire ropes, rods or bars of metal, or for indicating variations in the cross-sectional area of wires or wire ropes, or rods or bars of metal, owing to faults in the manufacture of the same, to deterioration during use, or from other causes.

The invention is designed more especially for testing the wire ropes or cables employed in mine hoisting and hauling apparatus, in which a considerable decrease in the' crosssectional area usually takesplace before breakage. In order to detect this reduction in the cross-sectional area of the rope and the consequent weakening of the same it is now necessary toforce open the lay of the rope in order to inspect it. This is extremely undesirablefor the reason that the wires of the rope are liable to be broken and elongated (causing afurther reduction in the cross-sectional area) and the rope distorted, in the operation.

Now the object of this invention is to provide an instrument by means of which the absolute cross sectional area of the rope in detail and throughout its entire length'is indicated, or recorded, or indicated and recorded. I

The invention consists essentially in the employment of an electro-magnetic coil through the hollow center of which is passed the wire rope to be tested. Through this coil is passed the electric current, which may be derived from any convenient source and'be either an interrupted or an alternating current. In the circuit is inter used a device or instrument which serves for indicating, or for recording, or for indicating and recording,

any variations of the electric current passing through the c011, which varlatlons are caused by any variationsin the cross sectional area of-the wire rope or the like, by means of electro-magnetic induction.

The improvements further relate to details in 'the construction of the testing coil; to

detail View of the coil.

end elevation of the testing coil and the means for supporting or suspending the testlug coil; to the means whereby a permanent record of the condition of the ro e or cable is obtained, and also a record of t 1e voltage of the current; to the general arrangement of the apparatus whereby said recording instrument 1s actuated from or through the medium. of the depth indicator so that the chart on which the record is made is moved simultaneously with, and proportional to, any movement of the rope or cable; and to a modified arrangement of the invention adapted to be actuated similarto or on the principle of an electric transformer.

The invention will now be described in detail by aid of the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 represents an elevation of the testing coil showing a ortion of the wire rope passing there'throug i, and also the indicating instrument. Fig. 2 isa longitudinal section of the coil. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of Fig. 2 on the line Fig. 4 is a means of suspending the same. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the recording instrument. Fig. 7 a plan of Fig. 6, Fig. .8 an elevation of the general arrangement of the hauling or hoisting gear in connection with which the apparatus is employedv and showing the recording instrument drawn to an enlarged scale, and Fig. 9 is an elevation of the modified arrangement which is adapted to work on the transformer principle.

Referring more particularly to the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 to 4, A represents the spool or former which may be made of brass or any non-magnetic substance or material, round which is wound a coil B of Fig.5 represents an insulated wire or conductor of a suitable gage, preferably compounded and taped to render it waterproof. The spool or former A has formed through it longitudinally a hole or passage a, which is of such a size as to leave a suitable amount of clearance between the interior walls and the rope E as the latter passes through 'it. The passage a formed throu h the spool or former A is made flaring or bel -m0uth ed at the ends as shown at a so that it will catch any broken strandsor wires and deflect them through the spool A, thereby preventing damage to the rope. The

spool or former A shown provided with per forated lugs or projections C which serve for suspending or otherwise securing it in position as hereinafter explained, so that the rope may run freely through it.

n the construction shown the spool or former A is made in halves a a and on each half are formed lugs or projections in which are formed coincidentholes adapted to receive a stud, setscrew, bolt or its e uivalent a (see Fig. 3) which serves for bo ting the halves of the spool A together. With this construction the coil B is also severed along the plane of cleavage of the spool and the severed ends of the wires of one part of the spool are adapted to project into tubular pieces or sockets attached to the ends of the wires-on the other part of the spool. This construction is shown in Fig. 4, in which I) represents the wire wound round one part of the former A, b the wire wound round the other part of the former A, and I) the socket or tubular piece attached either to b or b and into which the other and unattached wireprojects when the two parts a? a of the coil are fitted together. Any other suitable means may be provided so long as suitable connection is made between the ends of the wires of the coil to permit the current to flow througli it. Between the'halves of the former A is placed insulating material repreformer or spool A are varied to suit the size recording instrument E.

pointer which works over sai sented ataP. By this construction it is possible to clamp the testing coil B round the rope D instead of passing the end of the rope through it.

6 represents the terminals to which are attached the wires '1), and 0 represents the source of supply of electric energy, which as previously stated may be either an interru ted or an alternating current. V

n the arrangement represented in Fig. 1, we employ an indicating instrument represented at E. This, instrument is interposed.

in the electric circuit. The instrument is aduated as indicated ate to indicate the voltage of the current. c re resents the graduated scale e, and e is another scale which is marked with decimals of an inch for indicating the variations in the cross sectional area of the rope to be tested, and c represents the pointer working over said scale 6 This instrument may beconstructed like an ordinary milliamperemeter or be of any other suitableconstructioru. The gage of the insulated wire and the number of times it is coiled roundthe of the rope to be tested and the design of the Referring to the means of suspending or supporting the test' coil shown in Fig. 5, A represents the spa? or former of the testing coil B,-which as previously described is constructed at each end with the three perforated lugs C. To these lugs C are .at-

tached the three coiled springs 0 which latter at their other extremities are attached to a triangular frame B A similar frame and springs are provided for the other end of the spool A. The triangular frames B may be rigidly connected in any suitable manner. In some cases the frames B may be dispensed. with and. the outer ends of the coiled springs c be attached to any convenient part of the timbers of the headgear.

This means of suspension allows thetesting coil B to yield to or follow the play or swing ofthe rope without undue wear. The coil. may be suspended either by means of two. of the frames B or otherwise, in such a position, say in close'proximity to the headgear sheave as seen at B in Fig. 8, that there is a minimum of vibration.

.In-Figs. 6, 7 and 8, we show the apparatus designed to work in conjunction with a recording instrument. In this construction F represents the headgear of a mine or the like and f the headgear pulley or sheave round which the hauling'rope-D passes to the winding drum f of the hauling engine.

f represents the hauling "engine, of which f represents the piston rod andf the connecting rod driving the drum f. .f represents the lever actuating the reversing gear of theengine and G the indicator geared from the winding drum which serves for the wires placing the testing coil in series.

with the indicating instrument, the indicator G and reversing gear.

The recording instrument H, shown in connection with Fig. Sand drawn to an enlarged scale compared with the other parts of the figure, and also illustrated to a still further increased scale in Figs. 6 and-7 consists of an instrumentH which works on the principle of an ammeter and has its pen or pointer indicated at h moved by the current flowing through it in series with the testing coil B, and a voltmeter represented at H actuating a recording pen h simultaneously with the recording pen h. of the ammeter H to enable any errors in the record made by the ammeterdue to fluctuations in the pressure of the current, to be corrected. The ammeter H and voltmeter H are arranged in the upper portion of a rectangular casing J and their pens k h are arranged to record on a chart or reel of paper K which is adapted to move vertically inside thecasing to indicate the condition of the rope D by means of the ammeter H and also to be moved horizontally so as to separate the different trips or ascents and de- :scents of the skip or cage in he shaft or to indicate the reversal of the direction of the medium of the reversing gear.

' chart K being imparted by rent sent through amake and travel of the rope D through the testing coil. This is preferably effected by or thlb lll h e vertical travel of the chart K re resents to scale the total travel of the hauling rope D in the shaft, and the vertical motion of said impulses of our- I reak contact actuated by the indicator .G, maintains the chart or paper K in relation to the pen h at the same relative position as the rope Dito the testing coil B. Under normal conditions, that is to say assuming the voltage or pressure to be constant and the rope .to be' of uniform cross sectional area, then the two pens h it would make two parallelvertical lines on the chart'K'frorn top to bottom, representing a com lete trip down the shaft. The reversal of t e engine by means of the reversing gear then imparting through a suitable make and break contact a horizontal movement of the chart K, and' 'the l indicator G simultaneously reversing the direction of travel of the rope D, would,

given the same conditions, cause the two ointers h k to mark two parallel vertical ines on the chart from the bottom to the top. In the event of any variation inthe pressure or voltage of the current this would be indicated by the pen h of thevoltmeter H and producing a corresponding efiect on the ammeter H would enable the reading of the ammeter H to be correspondingly corrected. Assuming the voltage or pressure to remain constant, then any reduction in the cross sectional area of the rope D would be indicated by the line made by the 9' 1' may at the top or bottom, or at both' pen h of the ammeter H deviating fromthe vertical. 1 I

The recording instrument in so far. as 1t embodies features of the present mventlon,

is illustrated in Figs. 6, 7, and8. The con-.

taining case J is preferably fitted with a sheet of glass or other transparent material at the front. The recording instrument comprises a top and bottom rectangular frame k k, which revolubly carry four rollers 7' 1' round which passes the reel of paper K constituting the chart. The rollers j 1' are free to rotate in their hearings. in these framesk k. One of the back rollers j carries the reel of aper K which passes round the two front ro ers j and winds on the other back roller j, as

shown in Fig. '7. One or more of the rollers top and bottom, be provided with projecting pins which would enter holes-j in the paperto keep it taut for the recording pens 7 h,

at L.

fixed another bevel wheel 1 dISPOSGd screw-threaded spindle Z which works through screw-threaded holes I in the rectangular framesk is. On the 11 per end of this screw-threaded spindle lis xed a bevel wheel I whichgears with the bevel wheel Z on one ,end of a horizontally disosed spindle Z on the other end of which is This latter bevel wheel gears "with another bevelwheel Z fixed to the top of another vertical and parallel screw-threaded spindle l, which works through screw-threaded holes 1 formed in the op%osite ends of the rectangular frames k k. y

providing the two screw-threaded s indles l l and gearing them together in t e manner described, it insures both ends of the frames k It being positively and synchronously raised and lowered. I

To efiect the horizontal movement of the chart K we provide another clockwork mechanism located in a suitably disposed casing M. This clockwork has its escapement Worked by suitable electromagnetic device actuated by make and break mechanism under the control of the reversing gear, see Fig. 8. This mechanism drives a long pinion or toothed spindle m which is vertically disposed inside the casing J. On the ends of one of the rollers 1' are fixed two pinions or and 7. Each reversal of the engine imparts through the toothed spindle m rotary motion to the roller j to which are fixed the tWo pinions m, and so advances the paper or chart K, irrespective of the -position of the latter, at each reversal. The chart K being moved simultaneously with, and propor tional to, the movement of the rope D, en-

ables the length or levels ofthe different trips to be ascertained, and thus the exact number of lifts, hauls or winds is recorded.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 9 and designed to operate on the principle of the transformer, two of the testing coils B are em loyed.. The electric current is passed t ough the one coil from the generator N or source of supply' Therope D in its passage through the two coils B serving as the core, thev ordinary transformer effect is produced, and the record made by 'the indicator or ammeter O and voltmeter 0 through the other coil.

toothed wheels m which mesh or gear with the toothed spindle m, as shown in Figs. 6

What We claim as our invention and desire to protect by Letters Patent is':

l; In-apparatus of the nature specified, a testing coil constructed in halves, means for makin electrical connection between the endso the Wires of the coil and means for clamping the halves together round the article to be tested.

2. In apparatus of the nature indicated, the combination with the testing coil slit longitudinally of nonconducting material placed in said slit, and an'instrulnent for recording variations in the electrical current passing through the coil, caused by variations in the cross sectional area of the article being tested, by elctro-magnetic induction, substantially as described. a

3. In apparatus of the nature indicated, the combination with the testing coil formed in halves longitudinally, insulating material placed between the halves, means for making electrical connectionbetween the ends in the current passing througi the coil,

of the wires of the coil, means for connecting'the halves of the coil to clamp it round the article to-be tested, and an instrument for indicating variations in the current passing through the coil owing to variations in the cross sectional area of the article being tested, by electro-magnetic induction.

4. Apparatus of the nature indicated comprising 'an electro-magnetic coil through which the article to be tested is caused to pass, an instrument for recordin variations caused by variations in the. crosssectional area of the article being tested, by electromagnetic induction, and an instrument for recording any variations in the voltage of the current passing through the coil.

5. In apparatus of the nature indicated, the combination with a tubular electromagnetic coil through which the article to be tested is caused to pass, of means for yieldingly supporting the coil round the article tobe tested, and. means for producing a current in said coil.

6. In apparatus of the nature indicated,

coil through which the article to be tested. is caused to pass, said testing coil being constructed in halves. longitudinally and formed at each end with perforated lugs, of means for yieldingly supporting the coil round the article to be tested, said means comprising a plurality of spiral springs attached at one end to said perforated lugs and at the other end to fixed points.

7. In apparatus of the nature indicated,

the combination,.with the reversing gear of an engine, of a depth indicator, a testing coil, a rope passing therethrough, an instrument for recording variations in the current passing through the coil owing to the variations in the cross sectional area of the rope,

Witnesses to the signature of Charles Edward Stuart McCann:

CHAS. OVENDALE, R. OVEN'DALE.

Witnesses to the signature of Richard Colson:

GEo. BURRIDGE, .A. GOLDSTEIN.

the combination with the electro-magnetic- 

